Die Soldering occurs in aluminum permanent mold casting when the cast metal bonds with the die surface and remains stuck upon ejection of the part. Eventually, this layer builds up and production must be stopped for cleaning. It was estimated in a Contech squeeze casting plant in Pierceton, IN, that 1.5% of variable overhead can be directly attributed to die soldering.

Previous work at WPI has focused on developing the mechanism of how soldering occurs. This work focuses on how that knowledge can be applied in an industrial setting. The work has focused on 4 major areas: (1) Using MAGMAsoft to predict die soldering, (2) Using surface metrology to measure die soldering, (3) Documenting the total process effects of using strontium modified casting alloys.

The work has resulted in: (1) Guidelines for using MAGMAsoft to predict die soldering. The results can be incorporated into the existing MAGMA die soldering module, but provide more accurate time and temperature criteria. (2) The results of the study prove that measurement of the surface of the cast part itself can be used as a method for quantifying die soldering. (3) The total process effects of Sr-modification are reported, along with suggestions for immediate use of Sr-modification at the Pierceton, IN casting plant and guidelines for using Strontium in the future.